Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Former Hewlett Packard CEO, Carly Fiorina, announced her candidacy for the California senate seat currently held by Barbara (don't call me ma'am) Boxer. In her own words in the OC Register:

Our most pressing problems today are too few jobs for Americans and too much spending in Washington. As California's senator, economic recovery and fiscal accountability will be my priorities. I will not settle for a jobless recovery. And we can start the important work of getting our financial house back in order by demanding to know where our money is being spent. Let's put every government budget and every government bill on the Internet for every citizen to see.

Tax, spend and borrow is not a governing philosophy; it's a cycle of dependency and it is one that must be broken. Washington must show the discipline to cut spending and create policies that encourage and empower businesses to put people back to work.

(snip) Eric Schultz, the communications director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said of Fiorina, "This is a person who was fired from Hewlett-Packard for running the company into the ground, fired from the McCain presidential campaign for incompetence and now thinks the people of California are going to hire her."

The committee distributed excerpts of three stories naming Fiorina one of the nation's worst chief executive officers to reporters, along with a 2008 comment from Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld of the Yale School of Management to The New York Times saying, "You couldn't pick a worse, non-imprisoned CEO to be your standard-bearer."

Boxer's campaign manager continued the attack on Fiorina's record as a chief executive officer Tuesday.

"The last thing we need in Washington is someone who was named worst CEO, laid off 28,000 workers and shipped jobs overseas," Rose Kapolczynski said.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) endorsed conservative California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R) Tuesday, once again going against the wishes of his party.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has made no endorsement in the California Senate race, but party leaders favor former Hewlett-Packard executive Carly Fiorina (R), a wealthy centrist whom many believe could give Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) a strong challenge.

(snip) “Chuck DeVore is a proven, tested conservative who is gaining momentum. He’s the kind of leader who we can count on to stand up for common-sense conservative principles in the United States Senate,” DeMint said on a conference call Tuesday evening. “If grassroots conservatives get behind him, he can win the primary in June and go on to defeat Barbara Boxer in November.”

If this all sounds familiar, it should. Remember the rapid ascent of conservative candidate Doug Hoffman in NY-23, and the equally rapid implosion of liberal GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava? Unfortunately for Ms. Fiorina, and the Republican establishment, there could be a repeat here.